Efficient, Effective Air Movement: How to Justify HVLS Fan Systems

The ROI of large, ceiling mounted fans for warehouses and other facilities

Warehouse ceiling fans don't just cool; they de-stratify air, increase
productivity, and lower utility bills & create a remarkably comfortable
environment. So justification isn't simply about reducing energy costs, although
that can play a large role in the process.

The first thing
to realize is that high volume, low speed warehouse fans are air movement
systems, not just cooling systems. They move and mix lots of air, and they do it
very efficiently. As a result of the masses of air they move they are very
effective in aiding cooling, heating (through heat de-stratification) and
ventilation.

What you get from HVLS fans

Productivity increases

HVLS (high volume, low speed) fans result
in productivity increases (productivity is doing more with fewer resources which
is a green concept), especially with a comfortable and healthy work/living
environment. Their gentle airflow concept helps keep workers noticeably more
comfortable. They are also very quiet systems, as opposed to the noise of
multiple floor fans.

HVLS fan blades are typically 8′ to 24′ in diameter to move large volumes
of air at very low speeds. This creates a gentle, but signficant air flow
that has an immediate cooling effect in a hot room. A 24 foot fan can move
up to 376,804 cubic feet of air per minute. Ideally, an HVLS fan will send a
column of air down and out 360° towards the walls, back up the ceiling and
back through the fan. That pattern, known as “floor jet circulation”
naturally exchanges the air in very large spaces. Exchanged air does two
things: 1) It keeps fresh air constantly circulating. 2) It actually changes
the molecular structure of the room to lower temperature.

Energy cost reductions

Because they operate at low speeds, HVLS fans use a fraction of the power
of conventional fans.

They're powered by about what it takes to run three light bulbs. These huge
ceiling fans move as much air mass as twenty-five 48” fans that operate with
basically the same size motor—in effect, they use 1/25th the energy. In fact, to
run them uses as much energy as only about 3 light bulbs.

A larger air mass
has much less surface area to move and therefore less surface friction, further
reducing energy needed to move the air. With large masses, once the initial
inertia is overcome in air movement, the air jet created creates its own
momentum that needs very little energy to keep it going. High volume low speed
fans replace many other air movement solutions that would often use a lot of
power and energy to be effective. They reduce heating and cooling costs in
facilities that use those systems, and create comfort on their own in facilities
that don’t.

Cooling: HVLS systems can reduce cooling
costs 20%

HVLS
fans move large masses of air at the right speed for the evaporative cooling
effect of 6-8 degrees cooler

You can set your AC warmer (up to 15 degrees warmer) without
compromising comfort in the facility

Coupled with air conditioning, fans enable 6-8 degree thermostat
increases with 3-5% energy reductions per degree. You will be able to run
your cooling systems less frequently while still maintaining comfort

This can eliminate costly ducting (and related resources needed to
build and install)

What if HVAC isn't viable? There are many scenarios where it cannot be
implemented

In un-insulated buildings and those with large open doors (think
dock/shipping doors, and/or open-sides.

For even air distribution in buildings with conventional evaporative
coolers

Heating applications: similar savings

For heat de-stratification: Expect 20% more in heat savings (and
potentially more in most applications)

Industry rule of thumb is about a 3-5% savings for every degree of
thermostat reduction. Fan use doesn’t cause thermostat reduction; it
causes less frequent heater cycling

And high roof facilities, usually with their
blasting heaters in the ceilings trying to blow the hot air which naturally
rises, often have a 15-degree differential or more from floor to ceiling, HVLS
fans even out these
temperature gradients, resulting in the equivalent sensation of thermostat
reduction

Other benefits

HVLS fans mix bad air, including humid air that can cause damage to objects and food
products, so they reduce damage and waste due to unwanted moisture.

They help
eliminate birds and bugs and all the environmental damages they cause in an
operation.

Return on
investment

HVLS fans pay for
themselves quickly. Absent these fans people are spending the money they should
be using to buy them. They get more air to more places, more effectively and
economically.

Fan sizes and quantities: how many are required?

A 100,000 square foot distribution center or manufacturing facility with a
typical layout of racking and equipment can require five to ten fans to enjoy
the optimal benefits of HVLS fan systems. The key factors are location, height,
size, and density of airflow obstructions. For size selection, bigger is usually
better for large areas.

Size options allow for custom solutions to unique location challenges.
Ceiling heights are ideally more than fifteen feet. Clearance needed above
the fans should be at least three to five feet for best airflow; nominal
clearances of blades from nearby equipment and structures are recommended.
Contact us, and we can help you get started today on your HVLS project.

Warehouse ceiling fans don't just cool; they de-stratify air, increase
productivity, and lower utility bills & create a remarkably comfortable
environment. So justification isn't simply about reducing energy costs, although
that can play a large role in the process.

The first thing
to realize is that high volume, low speed warehouse fans are air movement
systems, not just cooling systems. They move and mix lots of air, and they do it
very efficiently. As a result of the masses of air they move they are very
effective in aiding cooling, heating (through heat de-stratification) and
ventilation.

What you get from HVLS fans

Productivity increases

HVLS (high volume, low speed) fans result
in productivity increases (productivity is doing more with fewer resources which
is a green concept), especially with a comfortable and healthy work/living
environment. Their gentle airflow concept helps keep workers noticeably more
comfortable. They are also very quiet systems, as opposed to the noise of
multiple floor fans.

HVLS fan blades are typically 8′ to 24′ in diameter to move large volumes
of air at very low speeds. This creates a gentle, but signficant air flow
that has an immediate cooling effect in a hot room. A 24 foot fan can move
up to 376,804 cubic feet of air per minute. Ideally, an HVLS fan will send a
column of air down and out 360° towards the walls, back up the ceiling and
back through the fan. That pattern, known as “floor jet circulation”
naturally exchanges the air in very large spaces. Exchanged air does two
things: 1) It keeps fresh air constantly circulating. 2) It actually changes
the molecular structure of the room to lower temperature.

Energy cost reductions

Because they operate at low speeds, HVLS fans use a fraction of the power
of conventional fans.

They're powered by about what it takes to run three light bulbs. These huge
ceiling fans move as much air mass as twenty-five 48” fans that operate with
basically the same size motor—in effect, they use 1/25th the energy. In fact, to
run them uses as much energy as only about 3 light bulbs.

A larger air mass
has much less surface area to move and therefore less surface friction, further
reducing energy needed to move the air. With large masses, once the initial
inertia is overcome in air movement, the air jet created creates its own
momentum that needs very little energy to keep it going. High volume low speed
fans replace many other air movement solutions that would often use a lot of
power and energy to be effective. They reduce heating and cooling costs in
facilities that use those systems, and create comfort on their own in facilities
that don’t.

Cooling: HVLS systems can reduce cooling
costs 20%

HVLS
fans move large masses of air at the right speed for the evaporative cooling
effect of 6-8 degrees cooler

You can set your AC warmer (up to 15 degrees warmer) without
compromising comfort in the facility

Coupled with air conditioning, fans enable 6-8 degree thermostat
increases with 3-5% energy reductions per degree. You will be able to run
your cooling systems less frequently while still maintaining comfort

This can eliminate costly ducting (and related resources needed to
build and install)

What if HVAC isn't viable? There are many scenarios where it cannot be
implemented

In un-insulated buildings and those with large open doors (think
dock/shipping doors, and/or open-sides.

For even air distribution in buildings with conventional evaporative
coolers

Heating applications: similar savings

For heat de-stratification: Expect 20% more in heat savings (and
potentially more in most applications)

Industry rule of thumb is about a 3-5% savings for every degree of
thermostat reduction. Fan use doesn’t cause thermostat reduction; it
causes less frequent heater cycling

And high roof facilities, usually with their
blasting heaters in the ceilings trying to blow the hot air which naturally
rises, often have a 15-degree differential or more from floor to ceiling, HVLS
fans even out these
temperature gradients, resulting in the equivalent sensation of thermostat
reduction

Other benefits

HVLS fans mix bad air, including humid air that can cause damage to objects and food
products, so they reduce damage and waste due to unwanted moisture.

They help
eliminate birds and bugs and all the environmental damages they cause in an
operation.

Return on
investment

HVLS fans pay for
themselves quickly. Absent these fans people are spending the money they should
be using to buy them. They get more air to more places, more effectively and
economically.

Fan sizes and quantities: how many are required?

A 100,000 square foot distribution center or manufacturing facility with a
typical layout of racking and equipment can require five to ten fans to enjoy
the optimal benefits of HVLS fan systems. The key factors are location, height,
size, and density of airflow obstructions. For size selection, bigger is usually
better for large areas.

Size options allow for custom solutions to unique location challenges.
Ceiling heights are ideally more than fifteen feet. Clearance needed above
the fans should be at least three to five feet for best airflow; nominal
clearances of blades from nearby equipment and structures are recommended.
Contact us, and we can help you get started today on your HVLS project.